Cornelia
Cornelia Zell (コーネリアゼル, Kōneria Zeru) was Lupin's first love, long predating his infatuation with Fujiko. She appeared in episodes 50-51 of the Red Jacket series, Lupin, Whom I Loved - Part 1 and Lupin, Whom I Loved - Part 2. Biography Cornelia was the only daughter of Doctor Zell, a Nazi officer and Scientist. Not long after the fall of The Third Reich, Cornelia was whisked away by her father to South America. There they took up residence on the grounds of a mundane cementery. Cornelia lived a relative life of ease and innocence, as she was heavily sheltered from the outside world by her doting father. She was assigned to assist Sergio, the cementery's groundskeeper, with simple day to day duties. Although despite her naive and carefree lifestyle, Cornelia was nowhere near foolish; she began to spy on her father and soon began to understand the horrific nature of his work which deeply troubled her. One day as she carried a basket of eggs to the main house, she came across a young man named Lupin. Seeing as he was the first young man she had laid eyes on, Cornelia quickly became taken with the dashing rogue and soon fell in love. Lupin also reciprocated her feelings and soon found himself enamored as well. Lupin became trapped within the compound and was held prisoner. Lupin was soon freed by Cornelia and the two decided to run away together, hoping to escape her father's Nazi influence. The night that the two attempted their escape was met with a harsh fate as the doctor and his men intercepted. Zell ordered Cornelia to step away from Lupin at once but she adamantly refused to leave his side. The Doctor then attempted to shoot Lupin but was aghast as Cornelia stepped in front of her love and sacrificed herself for him. Lupin managed to escape but The Doctor was left in emotional ruin at the loss of his cherished daughter. Zell quickly brought her body down to the lab and placed it in a preservation chamber. After further developing his research, The Corpse Preservation Project begun by Hitler was now in full operation. Once he computerized his brain functions, Dr. Zell was now capable of resurrecting Cornelia. Although Cornelia was now among the living once again, her personality had been subdued by the neural mind link she shared with her father. In effect, she was an extension of Doctor Zell's mind, a soulless drone incapable of thinking or feeling on it's own. Despite this, Cornelia seemed relatively competent in normal human behavior while in public situations. Eventually she was tasked with overseeing her father's smuggling operation. Many years later at the Pantheon Hotel in Palm Beach, Cornelia hosted a formal charity auction, which in reality was a front for her smuggling ring. Little did she know that Lupin was in attendance, intent on procuring the lot. Likewise, little did Lupin know that Cornelia was still "alive" and hosting the auction, as she was overseeing the event from atop a raised platform, away from worm's eye view. Just as soon as the merchandise arrived by hearse to the hotel, Lupin cut the lights to the main room and boasted to everyone in the room. Everything was going according to plan for Lupin until Fujiko managed to stifle his success. Having tipped off Zenigata, Fujiko stole the hearse in the hotel garage and made away with the score while Pops came charging in. Cornelia telepathically summoned her zombie minions which stood guard from within the hearse and ordered them to retrieve the stolen goods. Eventually Cornelia found Lupin and Goemon at the top the hotel, cornered by the police. Lupin instantly recognized her stunning face and called out her name; shocked that the burglar new her name and claimed to have once known her, Cornelia began to recollect fragments of her past. For the first time in a long time, Cornelia began to experience individual emotions which confounded her greatly. It was then that she was stricken with an agonizing headache; concerned, Lupin tried to come closer but Cornelia ran away in anguish. Back in South America, Cornelia conferred with Sergio about her encounter with Lupin. Confirming Lupin's claims, Cornelia was even more astonished; Dr. Zell then told Cornelia about what had transpired the night of her death. He claimed that Lupin broke into the cementery and attempted to steal her away, once cornered by the guards, Lupin killed her in cold blood. Horrified and anguished, Cornelia was compelled by The Doctor to raise the undead soldiers and seek vengeance upon Lupin. As her undead legion went forth to destroy her enemies, Cornelia went to confer with the woman whom attempted to steal the auction's lot. After confronting Fujiko within the stockade, Cornelia's suspicions were confirmed and the prisoner was indeed a cohort of Lupin's and that he indeed have feelings for Fujiko. Alas, Fujiko's claim that she herself was "the love of Lupin's life" further increased Cornelia's confusion and torment. The pain of her headaches continued to the point of instability; Zell soon increased his control over Cornelia's mind in order to maintain her at his side. As predicted, Lupin came to Fujiko's rescue but as always, Fujiko managed to dupe Lupin and make her escape alone. Cornelia then Confronted Lupin at gunpoint in the main chamber where her father's computerized brain resided. Doctor Zell ordered Cornelia to shoot but Lupin persistently attempted to remind her of the past. Lupin told Cornelia of what had really happened the night of her death. As memories surged through her brain, the pain of her headaches grew stronger and stronger. Eventually the confusion and pain grew too strong for her to bear and she attempted to shoot. Before Cornelia could pull the trigger, Jigen appeared from behind and shot her in the back. Cornelia fell to the floor and within her final moments, she was able to break free of her father's control. With her personality finally restored, Cornelia was able to reminisce about the time she had once spent with Lupin. With her dying breath, she thanked Lupin for setting her free and slowly perished as her body slowly withered into a lifeless corpse. Gallery Cornelia10.jpg|Cornelia doll, released as part of the Lupin the 3rd Stylish Collection. Corneliadoll.jpg Cornelia7.jpg Trivia Category:Characters Category:Female characters